The Tale of Two Brothers
by LegendaryTales27
Summary: Leafkit and Scorchkit are brothers, ready to become apprentices. While Scorchkit is strong, ready to become a warrior, Leafkit dreams of cats with stars in their fur, and knows he must become a medicine cat. Travel with these two brothers as they face their destiny, and a mysterious prophecy. First fanfiction, rated T just in case
1. The Clans' Roster

_**The Tale of Two Brothers**_

MoorClan

LEADER: **Littlestar- **small gray tabby tom with brown eyes, Whiteflower's mate (6 lives left)

DEPUTY: **Hazelwhisker-** brown she-cat with long whiskers, Blazeheart's mate

MED CAT: **Honeyfrost- **sandy-furred she-cat with icy blue eyes

WARRIORS: **Duneclaw- **tan-colored tom with large claws, Honeyfrost's brother, Amberstripe's mate

**Flamefeather- **fiery orange tabby tom, brother of Blazeheart, Frostflight's mate

**Apprentice-** Silverpaw

**Blazeheart-** orange tabby tom with a optimistic spirit, brother of Flamefeather and Squirreltail, Hazelwhisker's mate

**Squirreltail-** fiery orange she-cat with a large, bushy tail, Oakfur's mate

**Frostflight- **snow-white she-cat, fastest tunnel runner in MoorClan, Flamefeather's mate

**Apprentice-** Pebblepaw

**Snowpelt-** bright white she-cat, Frostflight's sister, Stormheart's mate

**Amberstripe- **brown tabby she-cat with bright amber eyes, Duneclaw's mate

**Oakfur- **brown tabby tom with a sandy underbelly, Squirreltail's mate

**Hawkfoot- **tabby tom with similar fur colors to his siblings Oakfur, Amberstripe, and Stormheart, Willowwhisper's mate

**Stormheart- **light brown tabby tom with a white belly, named for the rainfall he and his siblings were born in, Snowpelt's mate

**Willowwhisper- **light gray she-cat, sister of the leader, Littlestar, Hawkfoot's mate

**Apprentice-** Wishpaw

**Darktail- **black tabby tom with bright green eyes, Willowwhisper's brother, Brightstep's mate

**Apprentice-** Beepaw

APPRENTICES: **Silverpaw-** silver tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes, daughter of Willowwhisper and Hawkfoot

**Beepaw- **light brown tabby tom with bright yellow eyes

**Pebblepaw- **dark gray tom with large paws, brother of both Beepaw and Silverpaw

**Wishpaw-** light brown she-cat, named for the wish her parents, Hazelwhisker and Flamefeather, for her to survive

QUEENS: **Brightstep-** orange and white she-cat, Darktail's mate, mother of Scorchkit (fiery orange tabby tom), and Leafkit (orange and white tom with forest green eyes)

**Whiteflower- **white she-cat, mates with Littlestar, mother of Dawnkit (light gray she-kit), Blizzardkit (white tom), and Autumnkit (brown she-kit)

ELDERS: **Graycloud-** gray tom with white spots, father of Littlestar, mates with Autumnfeather

**Autumnfeather- **brown tabby she-cat, mates with Graycloud, mother of Littlestar, Darktail, and Willowwhisper

**Briarclaw- **tabby she-cat like her sister, Autumnfeather, mother of Stormheart, Oakfur, Hawkfoot, and Amberstripe

_**TreeClan**_

LEADER: **Branchstar- **older, large, brown tom with long legs (2 lives left)

DEPUTY: **Hollyfur- **black she-cat with a brown belly, Branchstar's younger sister

MED CAT: **Skytail- **white she-cat with sky blue eyes and a long tail

**Apprentice- **Amberpaw

_**StreamClan**_

LEADER: **Wavestar- **blue she-cat (8 lives left)

DEPUTY: **Stormpelt- **dark gray tom with dark green eyes

MED CAT: **Tinyfoot- **small tom with silver fur and a small build

_**MarshClan**_

LEADER: **Shadowstar- **black tom with bright amber eyes (4 lives left)

DEPUTY: **Swiftshadow- **black and white tom

MED CAT: **Steampelt- **light gray she-cat with blue eyes

**A/N**

It looks much better in Wordpad, I swear.

Here, we go, the refrence sheet to the start of the story! I will update it every once in a while, like when the main characters become apprentices and such.

If you're wondering why the other clans only have leader, deputy, and med cat, that's because I wasn't going to come up with a whole bunch of names. I will make them up as I go.

Of course, this is my first fanfic, so if you find an error, please don't yell at me! Just point it out and I will fix it.

Thanks! ~Tales


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Redstar!" a voice called. The lithe tom looked up to see his past medicine cat, Cloudwhisper, rushing towards him. "I finally found you!" she meowed. "Where have you been? I've been searching for quite a while!"

The red-furred tom stretched and stood up. "I've been wandering around, why? Why are you so worked up?" he asked gently. The white she-cat seemed shocked about something.

"Yesterday.. in Clan time, anyways, I saw a the fur of a non-starry cat," the she-cat meowed, sitting down. "It wasn't the quarter moon, though. And it wasn't one of the leaders.

"So I pushed through some StarClan cats, who frowned at me, but then I saw him! He was a small kit, with orange and white fur! There was no StarClan cat accompanying him, but there was a few curious glances.

"I tried to walk to him, but he closed his eyes and faded away before I could speak. It was so.. urgh!" she finished, confusion clouding her normally beautiful sky blue eyes. Redstar licked her cheek.

Though in life, they were leader and medicine cat, in death, they were mates. They had loved each other, but could not be together. "I shouldn't had left your side, Cloudwhisper. We must find him once more."

She nodded, then rested her head in his fur. "Let's go," he meowed softly, stepping forward. "Right," she replied, walking in his wake. They spoke to many cats, but none had the answer to their question.

Redstar was about to take another step forward when his mate grabbed his scruff. "Wait, Redstar," she whispered. He nodded, then looked where she was looking. Suddenly, an orange and white kit appeared, from nearly transparent to normal.

Cloudwhisper was right, the tom didn't have any stars in his fur. He wasn't dead, but alive. He took a step forward, and the two cats heard him whisper, "Again? Why does my dreams take me to here?"

"We have to speak with him," the former medicine cat meowed, taking a step forward. Redstar was about to call her back, when the kit caught her eye. "H-Hello?" he asked, fear in his voice. "Can you tell me where I am?"

The she-cat bounded over to the kit, Redstar following. "You're in StarClan, young one," she answered, putting her tail over his back. His eyes grew wide, "You mean, I'm dead?" he asked, whimpering.

"No, no," Redstar meowed, kneeling next to the kit. "You seem to be able to visit here in your dreams, when you want to," he told him. "I visited here last night. It was scary, but amazing. It's so beautiful," the small kit meowed.

Cloudwhisper smiled. "I saw a mighty cat the other day. She wasn't big, but she radiated power. Her fur was a light brown with dark brown paws. I think.. I think she might be Moor. As in the Moor from the elder's tales," he meowed.

The red-furred tom nodded. "Yes, she and the other founders of our four Clans came to us and visited," he explained. "Normally they don't speak with us, but they do care about us."

"Oh. Well, I'm Leafkit," the tom mewed. "Leafkit, eh? I'm Redstar. The she-cat next to me is Cloudwhisper," Redstar replied, smiling. He then frowned. "You should go back to your Clan."

Leafkit cocked his head. "Well, I think I have to fall asleep to go back. But I just got here!"

Cloudwhisper shook her head. "Cats will get suspicious of you, Leafkit. You must go back." But the kit shook his head. "No. Something is tugging me here! Something is calling me.. and I just can't leave!"

The two StarClan cats were taken aback by his sudden intensity. The kit's eyes widened on something behind them, and Redstar turned to see a great cat.

"Moor!" he exclaimed.

She nodded at the tom, then focused on the kit. "You are Leafkit, correct?" she asked quietly. He nodded, obviously surprised. "I am, like Redstar told you, Moor. Young one, you were correct in saying that you were brought here for a reason."

"R-Really?" the kit asked. Moor nodded. Her eyes became unfocused, and she meowed, "The two brothers shall come, with more power than StarClan and its foe. Though tempted for evil, they shall prevail in any challenge."

She blinked, then nodded. "You have heard all you need to hear. It is time for you to go back, young one," she told Leafkit, then pressed her nose to his forehead. The small kit closed his eyes, and faded away, into the grass.

"That was a prophecy," Redstar glanced at Cloudwhisper, who had spoken. "It was. The same you heard before you died, Cloudwhisper. I must go back to the others, now. Go, frolic with your clanmates."

Moor turned back. "Enjoy this peace while it lasts," she warned, then disappeared, into the crowd of cats.

The mates watched her go. "'Enjoy this peace while it lasts.' StarClan is threatened once more?" Cloudwhisper cried. "We shall prevail. The prophecy said," Redstar comforted.

"I'm not sure," Cloudwhisper mewed, shaking her head.

**A/N**

**Hey guys, Tales here, and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter (well, prologue)! Cloudwhisper and Redstar here will be **_**very**_** important to this story, so if you like them, you'll see them again! Hopefully you stay tuned to read more of this story!**  
><strong> You can see the first of Leafkit's power, being able to visit StarClan at will. Don't worry, Scorchkit will also have a power, but it's going to be a bit different than Lionblaze's in the canon story.<strong>

** Thanks for reading my first chapter! ~Tales**


	3. Chapter 1

"_Help!" the voices cried all around him. "Help us!"_

_ But when the kit tried to move forward, he was stock-still. He tried to call out to them, but his mouth seemed to be snapped shut._

_ All around him, he saw cats being slaughtered, both shadowy and starry. But they spoke as one voice as they cried out. "Please! Save us!" they all cried. Blood pooled all around, lapping his paws._

"_The two brothers shall come, reborn, with more power than StarClan and its foe. Though tempted for evil, they shall prevail in any challenge, by seeing and deceiving" four deep voices called. It was both female and male, and the kit watched in horror as the blood rose._

_Suddenly, it was up to his neck, and he managed to cry out. The cats around him had all drowned, suddenly, and he was alone._

"_Any challenge," the voices whispered, then he woke up._

. . .

Leafkit gasped and jerked awake, his eyes wide. He shivered, and felt his mother's tail brush over him gently. "It's okay," she murmured, then began to sleep once more. The small kit frowned, thinking about his dream.

That was the fourth time he had that dream since the day he turned six moons. That was four days ago. He laid his head on his paws, running it over in his mind. What did it mean? Why were they murdering each other?

He felt the nudge of his brother, and turned to see Scorchkit's worried gaze. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Leafkit replied, feeling like he shouldn't tell his brother, though they were very close.

Scorchkit nodded his head, not pushing it. "You want to go outside the nursery?" he asked. "Sure," Leafkit replied, standing up. They headed out the nursery, glancing at Whiteflower's four moon old kits.

The ravine was still dark, so it must have been sunrise. There were shadows everywhere, and light barely peeked out. Scorchkit grinned. "I can't wait for our apprentice ceremony! It's got to be today, you know?"

Leafkit nodded, but he was lost in thought. "Hey, little brother!" Scorchkit called. Though they were littermates, the orange and white kit was much, much smaller than his brother. Abnormally small, even for a MoorClan cat.

He turned his head to Scorchkit. The normally funny kit's gaze turned solemn. "You're going to become a medicine cat apprentice, aren't you?" he asked. Leafkit nodded. He had just spoken to Honeyfrost the other day about it.

"I sometimes wish that we could've become warriors together," Scorchkit sighed. "But you speak with passion when you speak about healing or herbs."

The smaller brother smiled sheepishly, then looked up when a brown figure stood in front of him. It was Hazelwhisker, the deputy. Leafkit noticed that she looked plump, and that she smelled of milk. She's going to have kits! he thought.

Hazelwhisker smiled. "So, you two are becoming apprentice today?" she asked, smiling slightly. Scorchkit nodded, puffing out his chest. "I'm going to become the greatest apprentice ever!" he cried out, boasting.

Smiling, the she-cat licked her paw. "I'm sure you will, Scorchkit," she mewed. "What about you, Leafkit?" The small tom shrugged. Hazelwhisker glanced over at Scorchkit. "You seem the only one to get a conversation out of him, eh?" she asked.

The bigger brother smiled. "I suppose!" he meowed, nudging Leafkit. "Yeah," the quiet kit meowed, glancing at the tunnel where a hunting party returned. After all, leaf-bare was coming, and prey was heading towards the tunnels.

Not a good time to have kits.. Leafkit thought, glancing at Hazelwhisker's big belly. "I have to go organize patrols before ou-your ceremony!" she called, smiling. It almost seems like she said 'our' instead of your. Perhaps she's stepping down from deputy position..

Shaking his head, he watched as she left. "You want to chat with the apprentices before our ceremony?" Scorchkit asked. Leafkit shook his head. "No, I'll stay here," he mewed quietly, glancing up as the sun's rays grew brighter.

He sat there for quite a while, barely noticing when his mother began to groom him. "You're going to leave the nursery today," she meowed sadly. "At least you'll return to warrior duties for a while, right?" Leafkit asked.

"I'm not sure. Having kits was so amazing.." she leaned in close. "I'm thinking about being a nursery queen for a while. How about that?"

The small tom smiled. "I support it," he whispered, searching her gaze. She blinked at him gratefully, then opened her mouth to reply as a voice called, "Let all cats old enough to run through the tunnels gather under the High-Ledge!"

It was Littlestar, his coat gleaming in the sun, finally appearing. On a ledge next to him, Hazelwhisker stood, and close to them were Amberstripe and Honeyfrost. Is that who Scorchkit's mentor will be? Amberstripe? She's a great warrior! Leafkit thought.

The small leader watched as the Clan gathered around, the soon-to-be apprentices right under him. "Today, we have two announcements to make!" he called, and Leafkit frowned. Two?

"For our first announcement, there are two kits ready to become apprentices! Scorchkit, Leafkit, come up here!" Littlestar watched as we scrambled up to the High-Ledge, then sat in front of him, passing Hazelwhisker, who smiled.

He winked. "You two are definitely ready. Scorchkit, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Scorchpaw. Your mentor shall be Amberstripe! Amberstripe, you were taught by Duneclaw, a powerful warrior. I know you shall pass down what you have learned to Scorchpaw."

The two touched noses, and cheers went throughout the Clan, but there was still another apprentice ready. A hush drew, as if the Clan was holding their breath. It was true, the small kit had not told anyone what he wanted to be, rather than his brother.

"Leafkit, Honeyfrost approached me the other day, saying you wanted to become a medicine cat apprentice. Is this true?" Littlestar asked. "Yes," the kit answered, and the cats let out their breath.

The leader nodded. "Then until you receive your medicine cat name, you shall be known as Leafpaw. Your mentor, of course, shall be Honeyfrost," he cried out. The sandy she-cat came forward and touched noses with the new apprentice.

They stepped off the High-Ledge, and sat near Amberstripe and Scorchpaw. The fiery orange apprentice smiled at Leafpaw reassuringly. The smaller brother nodded at him, then glanced at Littlestar.

"For our second announcement, Hazelwhisker, come here," the tom gestured to where Leafpaw and Scorchpaw were just a second ago. She hopped up onto it, her head away from the crowd. "Hazelwhisker is expecting kits! She shall be stepping down for a while to take care of them!" he yowled.

More cheers erupted from the crowd. "Until she steps back into her position, Duneclaw shall take her place!" Littlestar called, glancing at the sandy tomcat. Honeyfrost cheered from next to Leafpaw, as Duneclaw was her brother.

Littlestar nodded to Duneclaw and disappeared into his den, and the meeting disbanded. Amberstripe said something to Scorchpaw and they disappeared. "Come, Leafpaw. We have to get moss for your bedding."

. . .

Hazelwhisker was as close to kitting as Leafpaw expected.

"Your kits are coming in a moon, Hazelwhisker. It's time to move you to the nursery," Honeyfrost mewed. The she-cat sighed, her eyes tired. "You need to rest. Leafpaw, I showed you where the moss was, can you get some?" the mentor asked.

The small cat nodded and bounded off, heading towards where the moss grew best. He found the small pool where moss thrived, and gathered some. When he stood up, he scented something. Scorchpaw and Amberstripe!

"Our territory is amazing!" his brother's voice exclaimed. A laugh came from Amberstripe, and Leafpaw looked up. He had been so intent on his work, he didn't notice their pelts walking towards him!

Scorchpaw bounded up to him. "Hey, Leafpaw!" he mewed. "What are you doing?" Amberstripe smiled as he finished putting it in a pile. "Collecting moss," the orange and white tom replied.

The brother nodded. "Right, medicine cat tasks," he meowed with ease. Amberstripe smiled. "Not really, Scorchpaw! All apprentices collect moss!" she meowed. He sighed. "I knew that, I suppose."

They laughed, and Leafpaw grabbed his moss. The trio walked down the ravine, into the camp. Leafpaw nodded to the mentor and apprentice before heading back to the nursery. "Bye, Leafpaw!" they called.

Hazelwhisker was laying there, chatting with Whiteflower. Before Hazelwhisker could speak, the kits rushed forward. "Leafpaw! How's it being an apprentice!" Blizzardkit asked. "What have you been doing?" Dawnkit demanded.

"Did you see Scorchpaw after the ceremony?" Autumnkit asked. "Kits!" Whiteflower scolded. "Leafpaw is here to help Hazelwhisker settle in, not answer your questions!"

The tom smiled. "It's okay," he assured her quietly, then spread out the moss for Hazelwhisker. "Thank you, Leafpaw. I can make it comfortable," she mewed. He nodded his head, then backed out of the den.

He paused. "Honeyfrost gave you herbs, correct?" Leafpaw asked. "Yes," Hazelwhisker replied. The medicine cat apprentice smiled and left, bounding back to the medicine cat den.

Honeyfrost looked up. "Ah, you're back," she meowed, putting some herbs in a pile. "Before sun-down, I would like to give you a herb lesson," the she-cat beckoned to the spot next to her.

They spent the rest of the day learning about herbs, and memorizing. Well, Leafpaw did, at least. Soon, the moon rose, and Honeyfrost went into the back part of the den. That was where the two slept.

Honeyfrost flopped on her nest. "We'll do some more training tomorrow," she murmured, yawning. The small tom nodded, but even after his mentor fell asleep, he was awake. He glanced at the clearing, where only a couple cats remained.

The sun-down patrol. Leafpaw thought. "-MarshClan cats. They insisted a cat had stepped on their territory," a voice meowed. It was Flamefeather. Littlestar frowned, then glanced where a body laid. Is it dead?

"Silverpaw's hurt. Bad. She tried to stop a MarshClan warrior from hurting Beepaw," another voice meowed. It was Beepaw's mentor, and Leafpaw's father. Darktail! "Please! One of them caught my cheek, and I was undefended for a second! It's my fault," Beepaw sobbed.

Littlestar shook his head. "Nonsense!" Littlestar meowed. "Darktail, fetch Honeyfrost and Leafpaw." The dark tom nodded. The apprentice hurried to his bed and pretended to be asleep.

"Honeyfrost!" hissed Darktail. Leafpaw watched as his mentor awoke through barely open eyes. "Awake Leafpaw. We have injuries," the tom hurried out. Honeyfrost muttered something under her breath and shook her apprentice.

He opened one eye. "Huh?" he meowed, feigning ignorance. "There's some injuries. You can help me, correct?" she asked. "Of course!" Leafpaw stood straight up and helped grab herbs before rushing out.

Leafpaw didn't have to fake a gasp.

There was a wound on her forehead, and another across her foreleg. There were also scratches. Beepaw had a cut on his cheek, and the two mentors just had some scratches, rather than Flamefeather with a nick in his ear.

"What did you mouse-brains do?" Honeyfrost demanded, rushing towards Silverpaw and dropping her herbs. Leafpaw went to Beepaw. "Border skirmish," Flamefeather replied.

She snorted and applied herbs to Silverpaw's wounds. They sat in almost silence. Darktail went to bed, for he had no big injuries. Leafpaw finished putting herbs on Beepaw's cheek. He studied him for a moment. "Take a break from training tomorrow," he meowed, then glanced at Honeyfrost.

"What I would advise," she meowed. Littlestar nodded. "Then it shall be so. Rest, Beepaw," he meowed. The apprentice was too tired to argue, and he walked off. Quickly the medicine cat apprentice finished off helping Flamefeather and sent him to bed.

"Do I get a day off?" the warrior teased.

Leafpaw smiled, and shook his head.

"Ah, it was worth a shot," he meowed, then walked off. Leafpaw hovered over Silverpaw quietly, and Honeyfrost looked up. "You should get some rest, Leafpaw," she meowed.

He shook his head. "I should watch," he meowed. The she-cat shrugged. After a while, she finished her work. "We need to take her to the medicine cat den. Leafpaw, fetch some moss quickly. Littlestar, would you assist me?"

Both of the toms nodded, and Leafpaw rushed to get some moss for the third time today. He grabbed some, then quickly went back. He ran into the medicine cat den and put it down, spreading it out.

Littlestar and Honeyfrost laid Silverpaw down onto the moss. "Now we need some sleep," Honeyfrost murmured as Littlestar left quietly. "A lot for your first day, huh?" she muttered.

Leafpaw shrugged. "I want to make sure she's okay. Is it okay if I sleep next to her?" he asked. Honeyfrost pondered it for a moment, then nodded. "It's probably the best choice. Alright."

After dragging his moss to Silverpaw and saying goodnight to Honeyfrost, Leafpaw settled down. He was tired now, and he wondered vaguely why he wasn't tired at all when the patrol came back.

But soon darkness claimed him, and he fell into the depths of sleep.


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Scorchpaw! Wake up!" a voice meowed. The apprentice groaned and opened an eye. Pebblepaw stood over him, his shape fuzzy. "I know it's only your second day as an apprentice, but wake up!"

He groaned and got up, shaking his head. "Dawn patrol?" he muttered. "No, a training session. Amberstripe told me to wake you, since the dawn patrol has already left and came back! So get up!"

Pebblepaw sounded happy, yet his eyes twinkled with worry. "What happened?" Scorchpaw demanded. "Beepaw told me when he woke up this morning that MarshClan had a skirmish.. and Silverpaw was injured. Wishpaw is visiting her.." Pebblepaw muttered.

"That's horrible!" Scorchpaw thought of his brother, a small tom that only looked about four moons. Shaking off the thought, he nodded to Pebblepaw and bounded out the den.

Amberstripe was waiting. "He told you about Silverpaw, correct?" she asked. "Yeah," Scorchpaw muttered. "So close to her warrior ceremony, too," Amberstripe sighed. "Come, let's go."

They headed out to a tunnel after Scorchpaw devoured a mouse. It was a certain tunnel, and it led to a large underground room used for training. MoorClan cats weren't afraid of the underground, so Scorchpaw wasn't worried about it caving in.

Finally, the room came into view. It was pretty large, and there was no one else there. "We'll be working on some battle training today, since we did hunting yesterday," Amberstripe explained. "Show me a battle crouch."

Scorchpaw went into a hunters' crouch, but obviously Amberstripe wasn't impressed. "MoorClan cats are lithe, Scorchpaw. You need a crouch that will let you quickly move around," she meowed, then showed the apprentice hers.

The tom followed her lead, trying to do the best he could. "That's good!" she meowed, stopping him from shifting once more. "Try and tackle me."

He focused and rushed to the side, brushing his paw against her flank. "That's great speed, Scorchpaw, but your enemies won't be standing still. You have to use your speed to do unexpected things, such as this!"

Amberstripe darted forward to his left side. Scorchpaw was about to pushed her away when she jumped over him and knocked him back with her hind leg. He fell to the floor, dirt covering him. "Ouch."

She laughed. "You see?" Amberstripe asked. "Yeah! I wasn't expecting that!" Scorchpaw meowed excitedly, his eyes shining. The mentor and apprentice practiced that and other battle moves for a while, until the sound of pawsteps reached them.

Wishpaw, Willowwhisper, Pebblepaw, and Frostflight appeared, laughing. Pebblepaw seemed chipper, his bad mood disappearing. "Hey, Scorchpaw!" he called. The orange-furred tom smiled.

"This'll be good!" Amberstripe meowed. "Frostflight, Willowwhisper, do you think that you can have Pebblepaw and Wishpaw battle? It'll be good for Scorchpaw to watch!"

"That'll be fine!" Willowwhisper replied, while Frostflight nodded approvingly. Pebblepaw and Wishpaw faced each other, circling. After a moment, Wishpaw darted forward. Pebblepaw braced himself, then lunged out of the way. But it seemed Wishpaw was faster.

She jumped over him, kinda like Amberstripe had taught Scorchpaw. But instead of kicking Pebblepaw back, Wishpaw dragged her paw along his flank. Her claws were sheathed, of course, but the onlookers still winced. That would've hurt.

Pebblepaw whipped around and kicked her, knocking her over. Wishpaw went limp, but Pebblepaw seemed to know that trick. He braced himself, but Wishpaw rolled out from under him, instead of attacking.

The apprentice tackled him like he kicked her, then gently put her teeth around his neck. "I surrender!" he meowed, but there was a smile on his lips. "Ha!" Willowwhisper teased Frostflight. "My apprentice wins!"

Frostflight battered her away. "Whatever!" she meowed, sticking her tongue out. Amberstripe smiled down at Scorchpaw, who had a new light in his eyes. "You ready to train again?" she asked. "Yeah!"

They practiced until Oakfur came to the training room. "Amberstripe, you and Scorchpaw are on my patrol. We're going towards the MarshClan border, so brace yourselves, just in case," he warned, then beckoned his tail.

Amberstripe nodded to her apprentice, and they followed Oakfur until they reached the light. Snowpelt stood there, waiting. "Are we going?" she asked, nudging Amberstripe. "Yes, you impatient she-cat!" Amberstripe teased, and they laughed. The two were obviously good friends.

They marched out, and Oakfur slowed his pace until he was even with Scorchpaw. "So?" he asked. "How's the apprentice life treating you? Well, I hope. I wasn't a.. uh.. very rule-followy apprentice."

Scorchpaw smiled. "It's good. I wonder how Leafpaw's doing, even though it's only my second day," he murmured. "Must be tough on your soul! You should ask Duneclaw about that. After all, his sister was a medicine cat apprentice once, too," Oakfur advised.

Honeyfrost. Leafpaw's mentor. Scorchpaw thought. "I will. Thanks, Oakfur," the apprentice mewed. Oakfur nodded and took the lead, since they were close to the border. "All right!" he called, keeping quiet. "We're near the MarshClan border. Let's be careful."

The patrol nodded. They marked the border, and they were safe, until the scent of a fresh MarshClan patrol hit their noses. Oakfur paused, then waited for a second. The patrol rushed up to them.

A she-cat was leading it, her mouth in firm line. She inspected them, then turned to Oakfur. "Not on our territory, I would hope," her lip curled. "No, we're not," Oakfur replied with confidence. "Just doing border patrol."

She nodded, and the patrol behind her left their scent markers. "Good," she mewed. "I wouldn't like another battle like the one last night.. That yellow-eyed apprentice got the good of Blackfang. The one who got her sister by accident. He got a good wound down his flank!"

Scorchpaw had to resist a smile. Beepaw had avenged his sister. Oakfur nodded curtly. "If you excuse us, we'll be getting back now," he told her, then nodded to the patrol. They headed off. Scorchpaw could feel her gaze on him, and the rest of the patrol.

"Wait!" she called. "My warrior has smelled MoorClan scum."

Oakfur bristled at that, but turned back. "Are you sure that it isn't the scent marker?" he managed through clenched teeth. "Grayeye never makes mistakes!" the she-cat replied sweetly. Scorchpaw glanced at Oakfur. "Send a warrior over!"

Amberstripe was about to march over, but Scorchpaw ran over first. The she-cat narrowed her eyes. "Smell it, apprentice," she growled. The fiery tom sniffed, and smelled a trace of MoorClan. It led deeper, so he stomped over it. Well, no exactly.

"I only smell my own scent, and the scent markers," he lied. He was surprised how it came with such ease, as if he was telling the truth. A strong truth. The she-cat frowned. Grayeye, orange tom with a blind eye, frowned. "I'm sorry, Yellowclaw. Even I can be mistaken."

Yellowclaw scowled, but nodded at the apprentice. "Go back to your patrol," she growled. Scorchpaw swiftly nodded, then bounded back. Oakfur glanced at him, but nodded to Amberstripe.

"That was stupid," she meowed. Scorchpaw lowered his head. "But it was also brave." Amberstripe grinned at him proudly, and Oakfur nudged his shoulder. "Good job, kid. You.. you really didn't scent any markers, right?"

Scorchpaw almost told the truth. But the lie slipped off his tongue. "Of course not! MarshClan just wants a fight," the apprentice meowed simply. He then looked up at his mentor. "When we get back, can I get some prey?"

They laughed. "Of course!" Amberstripe replied. Soon they were back at camp, and Scorchpaw went to the medicine cat den. "I want to eat with Leafpaw," he had explained.

He entered the medicine cat den, and there was Leafpaw, smiling and listening to Silverpaw. His normal seriousness had slipped away, and he laughed and talked with Silverpaw. "Leafpaw?" asked Scorchpaw.

The small tom raised his head. "Oh, hey, Scorchpaw," he meowed, standing up. "I was wondering if we could eat some fresh-kill," Scorchpaw explained. Leafpaw glanced at Silverpaw. "Is it okay if I leave you for a bit?"

She shrugged, then yawned. "It's getting late anyways. I should probably get some sleep," the she-cat curled up. Leafpaw went with Scorchpaw, his seriousness returning. "What's up with that?"

"Hm?" Leafpaw asked, confused. "You seemed.. so at ease, I guess," Scorchpaw murmured. "Silverpaw's trying to loosen me up," the smaller brother laughed. Like the warrior apprentice had explained, he was at ease. He spoke with confidence.

This was not the brother that Scorchpaw had seen just a few days ago.

And he was happy with the change.

**A/N**

**Oh Scorchpaw..**

**In this chapter, we see that Scorchpaw seems to lie easily! As I explained on the Clans' roster, that is a power that is different from Lionblaze. Also, we see that Leafpaw is becoming less serious. No, he does not have a crush on Silverpaw, she is just showing him to be a little less tense.**

**Hopefully it'll help him!**

**Thanks for reading this chapter, I plan on updating around once a week, Friday or Saturday! ~Tales**


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